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SALT LAKE CITY — Gary Andersen’s top coaching spots are starting to take shape just a week after he was hired as Utah State’s head coach.
Andersen has reportedly hired Mike Sanford, Jr. as his offensive coordinator, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. That report was later confirmed by Aggies play-by-play announcer Scott Garrard.
Sanford was previously the head coach at Western Kentucky but was fired at the end of November after two seasons. He served as an offensive coordinator for Notre Dame from 2015-16 and his alma mater Boise State in 2014, and also coached running backs at Stanford under David Shaw.
The 36-year-old coach is the son of Mike Sanford Sr., a former coach at UNLV and Indiana State. His father also served under Andersen at Utah State in 2012 as his assistant head coach and running backs/tight ends coach. Sanford Sr. also coached with Andersen at the University of Utah from 2003-04.
The hiring Friday would be the fourth coach Andersen has reportedly brought on to be a part of his staff. On Thursday, Andersen hired Justin Ena as his defensive coordinator, according to Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, and Jordan Hicks as the program’s strength coach, according to footballscoop.com. On Wednesday, Andersen reportedly hired offensive line coach TJ Woods; although his exact position was not clear when it was reported.
Utah State has yet to officially confirm any of the hires this week.
